First responder communications system

ABSTRACT

A First Responder Communications System (FRCS), also referred to as an Automated Incident Control System, is provided that supports inter-agency and intra-agency communications among first responders including fire, police, border patrol, emergency medical service, safety, and/or other agencies. The FRCS also increases situational awareness of personnel by automatically providing position information as well as other sensor information. The FRCS also provides position and time information via Global Positioning System (GPS) and/or other positioning systems, and data from deployed and/or personal sensors to provide enhanced communications, command and control capabilities to the first responders and incident command. The FRCS includes a heads up display (HUD) including one or more LEDs or LCDs and a signal receiver that attaches to a faceshield or windshield (shield) to receive/display instructions via an electromagnetic or sonic signal via a transmitter coupled to a computer or other source.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority from U.S. Patent Application No.60/628,438, filed Nov. 15, 2004. This application also claims priorityfrom and is a continuation-in-part application of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 10/802,571, filed Mar. 17, 2005, which claimspriority from and is a continuation-in-part application of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 10/745,345, filed Dec. 23, 2003, which is acontinuation-in-part application of U.S. patent application Ser. No.10/613,489, filed Jul. 2, 2003, which claims priority from U.S. PatentApplication No. 60/393,693, filed Jul. 2, 2002, U.S. Patent ApplicationNo. 60/395,755, filed Jul. 12, 2002, and U.S. Patent Application No.60/404,055, filed Aug. 15, 2002.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The disclosed embodiments relate to wireless devices for automatedindividual communication, tracking and accountability.

BACKGROUND

First responders are organizations and personnel that provide lawenforcement, safety and protection services to the public. The firstresponders include law enforcement officers like police, sheriff,highway patrol, detectives, special law enforcement, FBI, DEA, militarypersonnel, border patrol, and others. First responders also include fireand safety personnel, for example, firefighters, emergency medicalservices personnel, Red Cross personnel, hazmat, and other emergencyworkers.

The communications systems and associated command and controlcapabilities used by first responders in responding to an incident orother emergency are typically limited to agency-unique communicationfrequencies and procedures. As a result, the various different groups ofpersonnel that respond to emergency incidents (police and firefighters,for example) are unable to communicate with each other. When differentgroups of first responders need to communicate with each other at anincident they typically use “runners” to relay information, or eachgroup just performs their respective tasks and operates without any typeof unified communication or operation. In some cases, inter-agencycommunications occur by relaying information through the respectivedispatch centers. However, this is a very slow and inefficient way ofcommunicating. The lack of inter-operable communications betweenon-scene agencies can result in ineffective coordination, often withtragic results.

Further to the very limited communications capability, adequatesituational awareness is also lacking among the first responderpersonnel and among various first responder teams because there is noway to know the location of the various first responders at the incidentscene without constant monitoring of voice communications. However, thelack of voice communications among the different groups of firstresponders means that the only situational awareness even available isthat of the members of the same agency.

Integral to the lack of situational awareness at an incident site is thelack of an accurate system for maintaining personnel accountability ofthe first responders at an incident site. The typical methods used tomaintain accountability of first response personnel are manual methods.In each of these manual methods, the principal is to use some physicalmeans of identifying whether a responder is present at the incidentscene, and in some cases to identify where the responder is assignedduring the emergency. Because these methods are manual, they do notprovide a way to accurately account for all first responder personnel atan incident site, nor do they provide ways to track the actual locationor movement of first responder personnel around the incident site as theemergency unfolds. Consequently, the incident command personnel do nothave detailed information on the location of the first responders andcan lose accountability of first responders. As an example, the lack ofintelligence at incident sites has resulted in the loss of numerousfirefighter personnel (over 100 per year in every day fires) as well theinjury of many others (many hundreds) in fires because the incidentcommander was unaware of the dangerous circumstances or lostaccountability of individual firefighters.

The lack of adequate intelligence information and inter-agencycommunications at incident sites results in incident commanders andfirst responder personnel that lack the detailed information andsituational awareness of the incident scene to effectively respond to anemergency. The cascading effect typically results in slower responsetimes to emergencies and a much higher level of risk for the firstresponders and incident victims. Consequently, there is a need amongfirst responders to have accountability of, and interoperablecommunications among, all responders at an incident site as well as ahigh level of situational awareness for the first responders in order toprovide greater safety and more efficiency in the use of the resourcesat the incident scene.

INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE

Each publication, patent, and/or patent application mentioned in thisspecification is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety to thesame extent as if each individual publication and/or patent applicationwas specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated byreference.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an environment including First ResponderCommunications Systems (FRCS), under an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing components of the first respondercommunications system, under the embodiment of FIG. 1.

FIG. 2A shows a FAAS emergency communications model 200, under anembodiment.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a communications network established amongmultiple first responder communications systems, under an alternativeembodiment of FIG. 1.

FIGS. 4/1 and 4/2 are a block diagram showing components of the commandand control system and field devices of the FRCS, under the embodimentof FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of the components of the command and controlsystem of the first responder communications system, under theembodiment of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of a first responder portable communicationdevice, under the embodiment of FIG. 4.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing the information flow from a portablecommand terminal to a first responder portable communication device,under the embodiment of FIG. 4.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing the information flow from a firstresponder portable communication device to a portable command terminal,under the embodiment of FIG. 4.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram of communication message handling in the firstresponder communications system, under the embodiment of FIG. 4.

FIG. 10 is a flow diagram of message routing in the first respondercommunications system, under the embodiment of FIG. 9.

FIG. 11 is a flow diagram of message parsing in the first respondercommunications system, under the embodiment of FIG. 9.

FIG. 12 is a flow diagram of message route path determination in thefirst responder communications system, under the embodiment of FIG. 9.

FIG. 13 is a flow diagram of message cueing in the first respondercommunications system, under the embodiment of FIG. 9.

FIG. 14 is a flow diagram for storing messages in the first respondercommunications system, under the embodiment of FIG. 9.

FIG. 15 is a flow diagram for handling synchronization (sync) messagesin the first responder communications system, under the embodiments ofFIGS. 9 and 14.

FIG. 16 is a flow diagram for self-configuring a network including thefirst responder communications system, under the embodiment of FIG. 9.

FIGS. 17 and 18 are flow diagrams for self-configuring a command andcontrol hierarchy in the first responder communications system, underthe embodiment of FIG. 9.

FIG. 19 shows flow diagrams for handling “path found” and “alert”messages in the first responder communications system, under theembodiment of FIG. 9.

FIG. 20 is a flow diagram for processing received messages in the firstresponder communications system, under the embodiment of FIG. 19.

FIG. 21 is a flow diagram for performing text-to-voice messageconversion in the first responder communications system, under theembodiment of FIG. 19.

FIG. 22 is a flow diagram for sensor timer checks in the first respondercommunications system, under the embodiment of FIG. 19.

FIG. 23 is a flow diagram for updating data crumbs in the firstresponder communications system, under the embodiment of FIG. 19.

FIG. 24 is a flow diagram for processing data crumbs in the firstresponder communications system, under the embodiment of FIG. 19.

FIG. 25 is a flow diagram for sending data crumbs in the first respondercommunications system, under the embodiment of FIG. 19.

FIG. 26 is a flow diagram for processing keyword information of messagesin the first responder communications system, under the embodiment ofFIG. 9.

FIG. 27 is a flow diagram for user interface (UI) message parsing in thefirst responder communications system, under the embodiment of FIG. 9.

FIG. 28 is a flow diagram for graphical user interface (GUI) messageparsing in the first responder communications system, under theembodiments of FIGS. 9 and 26.

FIG. 29 is a flow diagram for text user interface message parsing in thefirst responder communications system, under the embodiments of FIGS. 9and 26.

FIG. 30 is a flow diagram for audio user interface message parsing inthe first responder communications system, under the embodiments ofFIGS. 9 and 26.

FIGS. 31 and 32 are flow diagrams for graphical user interface (GUI)updating in the first responder communications system, under theembodiment of FIG. 9.

FIG. 33 shows a firefighter's headgear including a helmet and shieldwith representative indicators that display or project symbols of theHUD on the shield, under an embodiment.

In the drawings, the same reference numbers identify identical orsubstantially similar elements or acts.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A First Responder Communications System (FRCS), also referred to as anAutomated Incident Control System, is provided that supportsinter-agency and intra-agency communications among first respondersincluding fire, police, border patrol, emergency medical service,safety, and/or other agencies. The FRCS of an embodiment includes aFirefighter Automated Accountability System (FAAS) and Mobile IncidentAccountability System (MIAS) or the Facility Incident AccountabilitySystem (FIAS) but is not so limited.

The FAAS satisfies the urgent need in modern day fire fighting toprovide total situational awareness for the Fire Captain/Battalion Chief(incident commander) in order to provide greater safety and moreefficiency in the use of the resources at the incident scene. Over 300responders are killer each year and over 150,000 responders are injuredeach year, with about half of the injuries and deaths occurring at, oras a result of, an incident. The FRCS provides a family of systemsolutions to improve the safety and increase the situational awarenessat the incident site. The first of these systems is the FAAS. The FAAScan increase safety for the responders, provide greater understanding ofthe total situation at the incident site, improve use of all resourcesavailable at the incident site, with corresponding cost benefits forextending automated location and tracking technology to thefirefighters. Currently, GPS type tracking technology is limited totracking vehicles (with human resources inside), but has yet to beextended to individuals outside of the vehicle, especially in buildingsor in dense forest areas. The FAAS uses GPS-type tracking technology toextend the location and tracking of individuals like responders to allareas, inside and outside structures, at the incident site.

The FAAS offers hands free operation that allows firefighters tocontinue the utilization of their existing equipment and procedures atthe incident scene. The FAAS also enables devices on the firefighter toautomatically provide more intelligence to the incident commander and toother responders at the incident scene, which can result in greatersafety and better utilization of the available resources. Furthermore,the FAAS provides interoperable voice and data communications for allResponders carrying a FAAS device at the incident site so that theincident commander and all responders have two-way interoperablecommunications within the incident area. The other versions of theresponder accountability system, including the MIAS and the FacilityIncident Accountability System (FIAS) are based on the same principalsas the FAAS with the types of additional sensors and the incidentawareness software adjusted for the particular type of incidentactivity.

The FAAS provides a self-configuring wireless mesh network among fireresponders and local incident chiefs to track movement and location ofall firefighters at the incident scene, as described below. Each FAASdevice or unit is a rugged wearable clip-on device that communicateswith a unique identification (ID) to other units and incident control.The FAAS complements and/or replaces the manual accountability systemcurrently in use by responders. The features of the FAAS include but arenot limited to the following: low cost, light-weight clip-on device,fully automatic operation, program operates on fire captain's laptop,automatically locates and tracks all firefighters, providesinteroperable communications at the incident scene, enables alerting orarea evacuation notification by the fire captain, records all localtactical voice communications, records all firefighter incidentactivities, and stores and retrieves fire fighting procedures.

The MIAS is a family of mobile voice and data communications systems andrelated products to help first responder personnel control and manageall types of incident and emergency situations with more knowledge andfaster response. The MIAS can provide incident commanders andbehind-the-scene supervisors/elected officials with real-timeperspective and incident knowledge, enabling the ability to respondfaster, with resource anticipation and to operate with a higher degreeof safety than is currently possible. The MIAS is a relatively low cost,integrated mobile communications system, that includes a command andcontrol unit, handsets and sensors that are used to direct and supportthe first responders in all types of incidents and engagements. The MIASprovides self-configuring capabilities, for both the radios and thesystems, and greatly enhances the effectiveness and utilization of thefirst responders during engagements, ultimately saving victims livesand/or valuable assets. Existing radio handsets and legacycommunications systems can be utilized with the MIAS system.

The MIAS of an embodiment provides but is not limited to the following:three-dimensional field presentation of control information withlocation, tracking and knowledge base, voice and data and fieldintelligence combined for situation knowledge, inter/intra-agencycommunications and coordination at the scene, dynamic visualpresentation of activities at the scene in real time, andself-configuring network capability to provide a common incident channelfor responders. The features of the MIAS include but are not limited tothe following: low cost, light-weight clip-on device, fully automaticoperation, automatically locates and tracks all firefighters, providesinteroperable communications at the incident scene, records all localtactical voice communications, records all firefighter incidentactivities, and stores and retrieves fire fighting procedures.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an environment 100 including a FirstResponder Communications System (FRCS), under an embodiment. FIG. 2 is ablock diagram showing components of the FRCS, under the embodiment ofFIG. 1. The FRCS, also referred to as the Mobile Incident AccountabilitySystem (MIAS) or the Facility Incident Accountability System (FIAS),provides inter-agency and intra-agency communications at the incidentscene among first responders including fire, police, border patrol,emergency medical service, safety, and/or other agencies. The FRCS alsosupports communication among multiple on-scene agencies and variouscommand and control personnel at the incident scene, also referred to asIncident Command, and increases situational awareness by automaticallyproviding position information as well as other sensor information.

The interoperable communications capability provided by the FRCS isunique and comprehensive at the incident area in contrast to all of thetypical communications systems used by the various types of responders.FIG. 2A shows a FAAS emergency communications model 200, under anembodiment. The FAAS emergency communications model can use componentsof the FRCS described with reference to FIG. 2 to operate in theenvironment 100 described with reference to FIG. 1. As an ad hocwireless system, the FRCS can link all responders together and allowthem to communicate in the incident area. This provides trueinteroperability in the incident area, including the responders that donot have handheld radios or that can not use the standard radios due tothe type of activity or sensitive environment.

Components of the FRCS of an embodiment integrate multiplecommunications channels including, but not limited to, High Frequency(HF), Very High Frequency (VHF), Ultra High Frequency (UHF)/microwave,cellular, satellite, and Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN). TheFRCS also provides position and time information via Global PositioningSystem (GPS) and/or other positioning systems, and data from deployedand/or personal sensors to provide enhanced communications, command andcontrol capabilities to the first responders and incident command.

The various functions provided by the FRCS of an embodiment can beprovided by any number or combination of components of the FRCS system,and is not limited to being provided as described below. Further, therouting of information/data through the FRCS system can be via anynumber or combination of components of the FRCS system, and is notlimited to the routings described below. Likewise, the processing ofinformation/data by the FRCS system can be performed by any number ordistributed among any combination of components of the FRCS system, andis not limited to the processing locations described below.

In the following description, numerous specific details are introducedto provide a thorough understanding of, and enabling description for,embodiments of the invention. One skilled in the relevant art, however,will recognize that the invention can be practiced without one or moreof the specific details, or with other components, systems, etc. Inother instances, well-known structures or operations are not shown, orare not described in detail, to avoid obscuring aspects of theinvention.

The FRCS of an embodiment, with reference to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, includesa command and control system 10000 and field devices 20000, but is notso limited. Each first responder is equipped with a field device 20000that includes a portable or mobile wireless transceiver device 21000operating on at least one interoperable frequency, as described indetail below. The portable or mobile device 21000, also referred to as aresponder accountability device 21000, includes worn devices andhandheld radios, but is not so limited. As each first responder, alsoreferred to as a responder or responder personnel, arrives on scene theycan immediately communicate with each other and with the on-sceneincident commander via the field devices 20000 and components of thecommand and control system 10000. As additional responders arrive or aredispatched to the scene, they become part of the on-scene commander'steam, with instant communications in a self-configuring network formedby the command and control system 10000 and the field devices 20000, asdescribed in detail below.

Components of the FRCS also support commanders organizing teams intospecific subgroup teams for purposes of communicating about specificteam tasks. As an example, fire fighters entering a building cancommunicate and coordinate with police and hazardous material (hazmat)teams outside the building using specific communication channels setautomatically by the commander. However, all on-scene personnel are ableto communicate with each other, as necessary.

The radios 21000 of an embodiment operate using both line of sightcommunications (VHF and/or UHF, SHF) ground wave short wavecommunications (HF), to name a few, thereby increasing the reliabilityof in-building or incident scene communications within the team and tothe on-scene commander. The devices or radios automatically selectcommunication bands/frequencies using signal information of the bands sothat the best signal band is always being used. Each of the radios 21000includes at least one position/location system that uses GPS technology150. Components of the devices or radios 21000 including the positionsystem transfer or transmit a position of each individual firstresponder to the commander. In one embodiment, the location istransmitted as data simultaneously with each voice communication fromthe responder. The position is also transmitted periodically viadata-only transmissions using a pre-specified period, but is not solimited.

The accountability devices or radios 21000 also include or are coupledto at least one sensor 22000. The sensors 22000 provide additional datato incident commanders about the first responder and/or the environment.As an example, the sensors 22000 can provide biometric information onthe health/vital signs of the first responders as well as providingalerts regarding a fire (using heat and/or smoke sensors) and/orgunshots (using frequency sensors). Additional robot sensor devices (notshown) that communicate among the devices or radios and the incidentcommander can be dropped or placed on the scene as desired.

The command and control system 10000 of the FRCS of an embodiment is aseparate unit or subsystem, but is not so limited. The command andcontrol system 10000 is portable and can be installed in vehicles sothat whoever first arrives at an incident scene can assume the oversightcommand and control function. The command and control system 10000includes a computer system or portable system controller 12000, amulti-band radio transceiver 13000, and a portable command terminal11000, but is not so limited.

The portable command terminal 11000 can be an existing public safetyterminal like ones in use for mobile data communications and display.The portable command terminals 11000 of various alternative embodimentscan be a rugged portable or laptop computer.

The portable system controller 12000 enables the self-configuringnetwork among the command and control system 10000 and the field devices20000 as well as the allocation of groups or teams. Further, theportable system controller 12000 controls the accountability or radiotransceiver 13000. The device/radio transceiver 13000 also includesadditional communication frequencies known in the art as well ascellular telephone capabilities. The portable system controller 12000includes a number of command and control functions, some of whichinclude keyword recognition that functions to decode police and fireten-code numbers in near real-time and automatically recognize the levelof threat or seriousness of a situation.

Additionally, the portable system controller 12000 includes numerousknowledge-based scenarios in a database. These knowledge-based scenariosare used by the command and control system 10000 to generate predictionsas to the likely progression of an incident, generate and/or activatesituation checklists along with lists of needed resources, and providethe predictions and checklists to key first responder personnel in nearreal-time. As such, the command and control system 10000 enablesefficient and rapid deployment of resources at an incident site. Thesefunctions also enable the on-scene command personnel to be highlyeffective by taking advantage of these scenarios and past lessonslearned from the knowledge database.

As an example in operation, and with reference to FIG. 1, each firstresponder carries a field device 20000 that includes at least one radio21000 operating on an interoperable radio frequency at the incident area102 and 104. Two incident areas 102 and 104 are depicted for thisexample in which FRCS system 3 and FRCS system 4 operate, respectively,but the FRCS is not limited to operation in two incident areas.

As each first responder individual arrives on scene they can immediatelycommunicate with each other and with the on-scene incident commander viatheir field devices 20000 and the command and control system 10000. Asadditional responders arrive or are dispatched to the scene, they becomepart of the on scene commander's team, with instant communications in aself-configuring network 100. The responder radios 21000 operate onHF/VHF/UHF interoperable radio frequencies, but can also support othercommunication mediums and protocols. The responder radios 21000 cansimultaneously use more than one communication band at a time.

A unique 802.11x peer-to-peer self-configuring ad hoc wireless networkwith multi-hop or mesh network routing of data packets enables themulticast addressing of an embodiment by automatically connecting eachresponder radio 21000 in the network to other responder radios 21000 andfield devices 20000 and treating each device as a single network node,using UHF or higher bands (e.g., 902-2400) to make the connection. Othernon-802.11x radio devices including single channel or multichanneldevice can also be used in an embodiment to establish and maintain awireless ad hoc mesh network protocol (e.g., 900 MHz, 400 MHz, and/or2.4 GHz etc.).

The responder devices include a primary radio and corresponding channelsthat function as described herein. Additionally, the responder devicesinclude backup or alternate radio frequency bands and data messagingthat are automatically deployed under predetermined conditions. Thepredetermined conditions for automatic deployment of the alternate bandsand/or messaging include detected radio link failure of the primarychannels. The responder devices use the alternate bands and/or messagingto re-establish a mesh connection and notify the Incident Commander viathe incident commander GUI. The Incident Commander can use thesituational awareness information to judge whether use of thealternative radio channel connectivity indicates presence of someincident hazard (e.g. falling debris from overhead etc.). Theinformation can also be used to indicate deployment of responders in aparticularly non RF-friendly environment (e.g., a tunnel, buildingbasement, etc.).

Additionally, communications can be established between variouscomponents of each of FRCS system 3 and FRCS system 4 and various otherorganizations and/or locations. For example, the command and controlsystem 10000-A of FRCS system 3 can establish communications with firedispatcher 110 via coupling 112 and the Federal Emergency ManagementAgency (FEMA) 130 via coupling 132. Likewise, the command and controlsystem 10000-B of FRCS system 4 can establish communications with thecommand and control system 10000-A of system 3 via coupling 106 and thepolice dispatcher 120 via coupling 124. As such, members of multipleresponse agencies (police and fire in this example) at multiple incidentsites are in communication with one another. The couplings orcommunication paths between the various components of the network 100include wireless connections, wired connections, and hybridwireless/wired connections, but are not so limited.

The responder radio 21000 includes a Multi-Band Intra-Team Radio (MBITR)platform. Further, the responder radios 21000 support peer-to-peerad-hoc wireless networking, with multi-hop routing of data packets amongthe nodes, where each radio 21000 forms a node. Using this approach,routing tables are assembled at the receiving end (command and controlsystem 10000) and propagated back though the nodes (field devices20000). Each responder is tracked by a unique global identifier such asa Media Access Control (MAC) address provided the by an 802.11×beaconing function within the peer-to-peer network.

The responder radios 21000 use a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP)local area network (LAN) for data and audio communications. Voicecommunications from the responder radio 21000 can pass to components ofthe command and control system 10000, like the portable systemcontroller 12000, and be converted into text data for retransmission tothe handheld computers 23000. Likewise, output data from the sensors22000 can register as an alert on the responder radios 21000.

The responder radios 21000 provide location information using enhancedgeo-location technology 150 so that each responder's location istransmitted to the incident commander at regular intervals viacomponents of the command and control system 10000. The geo-locationsystem includes a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver, but is notso limited. Alternative embodiments of the responder radios can providegeo-location information using at least one of the followingtechnologies alone and/or in combination with the GPS: acoustic rangingand triangulation; locally generated RF signals external to an incidentstructure; external RF infrastructure (e.g., frequency modulation (FM)broadcast signals and/or television signals that enable line of bearingtriangulation into buildings for indoor positioning where GPS signalsare unreliable); wearable devices on the responder's person, clothes,and equipment, for example micro-electromechanical system (MEMS)gyroscopes, that provide additional geolocation input and positioningdata; ultra-wideband (UWB) RF microwave/millimeter wave systems thatautomatically generate and transmit regular position and position updatemessages; and barometric pressure devices.

The geo-location system, which is a component of and/or coupled to thefield devices 20000, automatically generates and transmits regularposition and position update messages to components of the command andcontrol system 10000, for example the portable system controller 12000.The geo-location data is also transmitted to the portable systemcontroller 12000 each time the transmitter of a responder radio ismanually keyed. The responder radios 21000 also include additionallocation sensors, sensors that use acoustic and RF technologies forexample, to increase the reliability of position reporting forin-building communications. The command and control system 10000includes a mapping system that presents the geographic location of eachfirst responder in the network to the incident commander on a two- orthree-dimensional map, as described below.

The responder radios 21000 of an embodiment automatically forward selectdata to components of the command and control system 10000. In oneembodiment, data is forwarded on an exception bases where, for example,the data is associated with pre-specified events like the presence ofparticular contaminants or recognition of a suspect sound/frequency likea gun shot. In the responder radio 21000 of this embodiment, a knowledgebase is included in or coupled to the responder radio and/or the sensor.The knowledge base includes information of criteria triggers for thepre-specified events of interest. Using the criteria trigger, when anitem being monitored reaches a pre-specified threshold, the dataassociated with that item is forwarded to the command and control system10000 and also brought to the first responder's attention using asynthesized voice or a display of the responder radio.

In another embodiment, the data is to be continuously monitored and istherefore continuously forwarded from the responder radio 21000/sensor22000. Examples of continuously monitored data include link marginparameters, first responder biometric information like respiration,and/or first responder location. The knowledge base used to evaluate thedata is the knowledge base of the command and control system 10000. Theknowledge base is used to generate alerts/notifications that a datavalue/parameter has reached/exceeded a pre-specified threshold. Further,the command and control system 10000 of this passive monitoringembodiment logs the received data and interprets the data for trendanalysis to support predictive action instead of reactive action.

As a further example of the network capabilities of the FRCS, FIG. 3 isa block diagram of a communications network 300 established amongmultiple first responder communications systems 1-6, under analternative embodiment of FIG. 1. This example builds on the exampledescribed above with reference to FIG. 1 in that FRCS system 3 and FRCSsystem 4 are now networked with additional FRCS systems 1, 2, 5, and 6.In addition, the FRCS network is coupled among systems and/or componentsthat include a master system 302, a functional specialist analysissystem 304, and a remote viewing system 306.

As an example, the master system can gather information of a number ofincident scenes from the FRCS network for presentation to high-levelofficials and/or decision makers. The functional specialist analysissystem 304 can support various levels of analysis of informationgathered from the incident scenes, as appropriate. The remote viewingsystem 306 supports the graphical presentation of incident informationat any number of viewing sites. There are no geographical limitations onthe locations or proximities of the components of the FRCS network 300,and the couplings or communication paths between the various componentsof the network 300 include wireless connections, wired connections, andhybrid wireless/wired connections, but are not so limited.

FIGS. 4/1 and 4/2 are a block diagram showing components of the commandand control system 10000 and field devices 20000 of the FRCS, under theembodiment of FIG. 2. As described with reference to FIG. 1, the FRCSincludes a command and control system 10000 coupled among numerous fielddevices 20000. The command and control system 10000 provides athree-dimensional graphical representation of an incident, includinglocations of structures, assets, and personnel, along with a centralizedcommand, control, and communications interactive environment.

The command and control system 10000 includes a portable systemcontroller 12000 coupled among at least one of a portable commandterminal 11000, keyword lookup engines, tables, and/or systems 14000,command scenario systems or databases 15000, and local storage devices17000. Furthermore, the command and control system 10000 of anembodiment is coupled among at least one command and control transceiver13000. The command and control system can also couple to any number ofexternal devices and systems known in the art, for example, externalstorage devices 41000 and external systems like expert systems and otheranalytical systems that perform near real-time and post-event analysisof data collected from/during an incident along with systems thatgenerate training scenarios.

The field devices 20000 of the FRCS include, but are not limited to,first responder radios 21000, sensors 22000, and other portableprocessor-based devices 23000, for example personal digital assistants(PDAs), personal computers, cellular telephones, mobile electronicdevices, mobile communication devices, and other portable computingdevices. Different ones of the field devices 20000 couple in any numberof combinations with various components of the command and controlsystem 10000 to provide for information exchange through the FRCS.

The communication path between the components of the FRCS including thefield devices 20000 and the command and control system 10000 includeswireless connections, wired connections, and hybrid wireless/wiredconnections. The communication path also includes couplings orconnections to or through networks including local area networks (LANs),metropolitan area networks (MANs), wide area networks (WANs),proprietary networks, interoffice or backend networks, and the Internet.Furthermore, the communication path includes removable fixed mediumslike floppy disks, hard disk drives, and CD-ROM disks, as well astelephone lines, buses, and electronic mail messages, but is not solimited.

The communications among responders can be in the form of data, voice ornon-voice, with the non-voice communications including signaling data(commands, responses, etc.) and/or navigation data (communicatingdirection, relative direction, movements, actions, etc.). The purpose ofthe incident site communications is for the incident commander and theresponders to exchange commands, directions, information andintelligence, and various situations and conditions indicate the bestform in which to accomplish the desired task. The navigationcommunications capability includes one or more colored indicators orlights on the helmet or other equipment or protective clothing of theresponder. The colors of the indicators or lights can represent thefore, aft, port and starboard orientations of a responder's helmet forexample, but are not so limited. The navigation system allows theresponders to communicate their location and direction of movement indark or smoke-filled environments where they would otherwise not be ableto see one another.

The communication protocols in use between the components of the FRCSinclude forward error correction (FEC) and end of message information,but are not so limited. Additional functions including authentication,key authentication, and FEC encoder functionality can also be included.

Components of the command and control system 10000 and the field devices20000 form a self-configuring network, but are not so limited. In sodoing, a portable command terminal 11000 belonging to the on-scenecommander in charge of the response team is designated as the master orprimary terminal, while all other command terminals 11000 at theincident site are slave terminals to the master terminal. This networkconfiguration allows the response effort to be directed and coordinatedby a single authority while allowing the slave terminals to monitor andcontrol specific detailed activities in the engagement area under thedirection of the master terminal/commander.

The FRCS uses a protocol to dynamically determine/assign master andslave terminals. The slave terminals are ranked, with the highestranking terminal becoming a backup to the master terminal. As the masterterminal includes all situational information, data, and logs associatedwith an incident, the protocol backs up information of the masterterminal in the backup terminal, but is not so limited. A display on theterminal indicates whether the terminal is a master or slave terminal.The protocol also accounts for the seniority of the commander to whom itis assigned as well as the agency and type of situation. The protocol isexecuted each time a new terminal joins the system. As such, a masterterminal can be downgraded by the presence of another command terminalbelonging to a more senior authority.

Components of the command and control system form monitoring groups foreach responder radio at an incident site. As such, the responder radioseach store a list of other transmitters from which communications aremonitored. When a transmitter is on the monitoring list of a responderradio, components of the responder radio forward transmissions from thattransmitter to the speaker/display of the responder radio. The operatorof a portable command terminal, for example, specifies one or moremonitoring groups along with a monitoring radius for each radio/group,but is not so limited. Further, the monitoring radius can be adjusted atthe responder radio. As responder radios enter/leave the proximity of amonitoring group, the command terminal automatically updates themonitoring list of the affected responder radios of the group.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of the components of the command and controlsystem of the first responder communications system, including theportable system controller 12000, the portable command terminal 11000,and the command and control transceiver or radio 13000, under theembodiment of FIG. 4. Each of these components is described in detailbelow.

The portable system controller 12000 includes but is not limited to aprocessor (not shown) running under the control of one or more routines,programs, or algorithms. The portable system controller 12000 couplesamong an operating system 502 and at least one of a keyword database,system, or lookup table 14000, a command scenario system or database15000, a database or local storage 17000, and a messaging system orcontroller 16000. Additionally, the portable system controller 12000 iscoupled to any number of external devices known in the art for couplingto processor-based systems, including joysticks 504, keypads and dataentry devices 506, displays 508, microphones 510, speakers 512, andheadsets 514.

The keyword database 14000 receives information in the form of messagesfrom the responder radios and the sensors. Upon receipt of the messages,the keyword database 14000 generates a voice or text translation, asappropriate. The keyword database 14000 then analyzes the contents ofeach message by comparing the received information with predeterminedcombinations of codes (ten codes, unique codes, etc.) and otherinformation of interest to the incident commander. The results (e.g.,matches) of the lookup operations are transferred to the commandscenario database 15000, but are not so limited. The contents of thekeyword database 14000 are periodically updated.

The command scenario database 15000, also referred to as the scenariodatabase 15000, is populated using standard operating procedures of thevarious responder agencies along with information of the IncidentControl System (ICS), the Emergency Management Resources, and theanalysis of post-incident reviews. As such, the scenario database 15000includes command scenarios and predetermined responses that supportproviding advice to the incident commander regarding possible actions tobe taken during an incident response. Information of the commandscenarios provides the benefit of the accumulated collective knowledgeand past experience to enhance the controls for future engagements. Theresults of the lookup operations are received in the scenario database15000 where each result is compared to rules for individual orcollective actions.

The local database 17000 stores a log of the interactions among theportable command terminal 11000, responder radios 21000, and sensors22000. The local database 17000, therefore, supports post-incidentreviews, analysis, and auditing of the response. Further, trainingscenarios are built using the information of the local database 17000.

The portable command terminal 11000, also referred to as the controlconsole 11000, provides near real-time visualization of an incidentusing a three-dimensional graphical representation of the engagementarea. Shaped and colored icons provide ease of recognition andinterpretation of responders, assets, and status of individuals andassets. The icons display the location of responders/assets and allowfor tracking of radio positions (and therefore responders), assets, andsensors. The control console 11000 is based on a graphical userinterface (GUI) for ease of situational assessment, interaction, andconsequent situational awareness. Pop-ups are used in an embodiment todisplay near-real time conditional changes of interest to the incidentcommander or that require action, significantly enhancing attention todetail and facilitating the automation of tasks. Alternative embodimentscan use any number of display technologies to display the controlinformation.

The control console 11000 includes at least one processor (not shown)coupled among an operating system (not shown) and at least one of acontrol package that supports various types of incidents, sensors,pop-ups, and maps, but is not so limited. Local command and controlpackages support numerous applications to provide the control andcoordination required for the corresponding application. The controlconsole 11000 provides current information relating to each responderradio 21000 and enables the operator to view the location and activityof each first responder with a responder radio 21000 or field device20000. The control console 11000 also supports communications with theresponder radios 21000 via voice, short messaging including shortmessaging service (SMS) and other text messaging services, non-voicesignaling, and light-emitting diode (LED) signaling. The control console11000 is hosted on a portable personal computer or other processor-baseddevice and provides full support of all technologies used in theresponder radios 21000.

The control console 11000 provides the local incident commander withinformation concerning the personnel and activities in an engagement,and the ability to direct actions and activities and to assess thesituation in order to bring it to a successful conclusion. The controlconsoles 11000, using various combinations of command and control system10000 components, locate a position of each of the responder radios andtrack the radio movements using the appropriate location technology, forexample, GPS, radio frequency (RF) identification/direction finding(ID/DF), infrared (IR) techniques, and/or numerous signaling techniquesknown in the art.

Further, the control consoles support interactive communications withthe responder radios via one or more of the following technologies:voice, short messaging, non-voice RF signal, LCD indicator or sound,depending on the particular situation. The control units provide bothselective and broadcast communications capability to the responderradios. The control software enables the operator to automaticallyoverlay the remote positions on an area map appropriate to the incident,thereby enabling the operator to direct the actions and activities ofthe first responder personnel. This capability can be tailored for thedifferent situations encountered by the various types of firstresponders (police, border patrol, firemen, etc.) both in terms of thetype of technologies available and the type of direction and controlthat is required for the situation.

As in the case of the hardware, the software of the control console11000 is modular and, as such, provides flexibility and capability inapplications and incidents. The control consoles 11000 can receive andstore various types of software and periodic updates to maintainflexibility and maximum capability.

The portable command and control transceiver or radio 13000, alsoreferred to as the command radio 13000, includes communicationcircuitry, antennas, and/or modems to support communication via anynumber of protocols and frequency bands known in the art. For example,the command radio 1300 of an embodiment supports HF, VHF, UHF/microwave,cellular, satellite, and PSTN communications using both analog anddigital protocols. The command radio 13000 supports individual, group(multicast), and broadcast communications with the responder radios21000.

The command radio 13000 transmits and receives on a common frequency forall responders in order to provide an integrated response by allresponse agencies. The command radio 13000 of an embodiment uses theNational Weather Service channel link for selective responder alerting.Low power HF provides seamless backup of VHF/UHF communications usingthe ground wave. The command radio 13000 also communicates via thetransfer of packet data. In addition, the command radio 13000communicates using voice and data messages.

Referring again to FIG. 4, the FRCS includes numerous field devices20000, including responder radios 21000 and sensors 22000, as describedabove. The first responders will carry radio handsets as they typicallydo when responding to an incident; but in contrast to the typicalresponder radios currently in use, the first responder radios 21000provided herein communicate across different functional units (i.e.,fire to police, police to EMS, etc.) via common channels andfrequencies. FIG. 6 is a block diagram of a first responder radio 21000,under the embodiment of FIG. 4.

The responder radios 21000 transfer numerous types of information. Assuch, the radios 21000 enable more control in situations where numerouspersonnel are engaged in activities that require their mutual andcombined efforts, situations that include but are not limited to policeactions involving criminal chases or searches, firefighter actions inburning structures, fighting forest fires with heavy smoke and wind,border search and control, rescue activities in fog or inclementweather, and emergency evacuation situations.

Each of these situations and the corresponding differing set ofcircumstances are supported by the responder radio 21000 of anembodiment using of a variety of different technologies in order tosuccessfully accomplish the intended purpose. The responder radios 21000support voice transmission and reception using a relatively short-rangeradio (approximately two (2) to five (5) mile range, for example). Theresponder radios 21000 of an embodiment also support first responderposition location using technologies including GPS. Further, where firstresponders are likely to be in locations where GPS accuracy degrades(for example, inside structures) and/or accurate position tracking isdesired, the responder radios 21000 support position determination usingRF identification/direction finder (RFID/DF) technology. The responderradios 21000 use a global unique identification number, such as a MediaAccess Control (MAC) address, for identification and display in thecommand console 11000 along with position information, but are not solimited.

The responder radio 21000 includes at least one processor or centralprocessing unit (CPU) coupled among components including at least one ofsignal processing devices, memory devices, communication circuitry,transmitters, receivers, antennas, modems, network systems, positionsystems, and encryption devices. The processor of an embodiment includesa 32-bit processor. Additionally, the responder radio 21000 couples toany number of external devices known in the art for coupling toprocessor-based communication systems, including displays, microphones,speakers, headsets, keypads, joysticks, and other data entry devices.

The components of the responder radios support communication via anynumber of protocols and frequency bands known in the art. For example,the responder radio 21000 of an embodiment supports HF, VHF,UHF/microwave, cellular, satellite, Bluetooth™ and ZigBee communicationsusing both analog and digital protocols. The responder radio 21000transmits and receives voice and data messages on common frequencies forall responders in order to provide an integrated response by allresponse agencies. The responder radio 21000 of an embodiment receivesselective alerts via the National Weather Service channel link. Further,low power HF provides seamless backup of VHF/UHF communications usingthe ground wave. The responder radio 21000 also communicates via thetransfer of packet data. The responder radio 21000 self-configures thecommunication channels to optimize data transmission, as appropriate.The responder radios 21000 can be addressed individually, as a group(multicast), or collectively as a whole (broadcast) from other responderradios 21000 and the command and control transceiver 13000. Theresponder radios 21000 are also capable of transmitting and receivingpacket data communication in addition to voice.

As described above, the responder radios 21000 of an embodiment supportfirst responder position location using a GPS receiver/locator. Incertain scenarios where in-building structures cause loss of signal(LOS) to the GPS receiver/locator, acoustic and/or RF devices are usedto pinpoint the exact geographical location of each responder frominside the structure and send the information to components of thecommand and control system 10000.

The network systems of the responder radio 21000 include a Personal AreaNetwork (PAN) system that forms the backbone that links the variouscomponents of the FRCS and provides the management of the controlfunctions. The PAN utilizes USB as its primary data transfer protocol,but is not so limited, thereby providing for peer-to-peer operationwithout a computer.

The responder radios 21000 of an embodiment use location-based multicastaddressing, but are not so limited. This multicast group IP addressingscheme is used to map the individual positions of each responder radiowithin the incident scene to a corresponding virtual location on thewireless PAN using the IP address of the radio 21000. This mappingcomponent enables the incident commander to view the location of eachresponder radio 21000 on a map display.

A unique 802.11x or similar peer-to-peer self-configuring ad hocwireless network with multi-hop routing of data packets enables themulticast addressing by automatically connecting each responder radio21000 in the network to other responder radios 21000 and field devices20000 and treating each device as a single network node, using UHF orhigher bands (e.g., 902-2400) to make the connection. Each node ordevice 20000 is then assigned a unique global identifier (MAC) alongwith a personal ID. Using this approach, routing tables are assembled atthe command and control system 10000 and propagated back though thenodes (responder radios). Each responder is then tracked by the globalidentifier. The MAC ensures that not only the command and controlpackets sent by the portable system controller 12000 are differentiated,but more important, that differentiation is effective among the packetssent by all other field devices 20000 on the network as well.

The peer-to-peer self-configuring network is unique because the twobasic MAC classes of service packets are modified to improve reliabilityand accuracy. The two basic classes of service supported by MAC are RESpackets for routing control and messages, and BE packets for best effortMAC service. However, use of these classes of service often results inrouting updates and maintenance packets that are delayed or lost,causing time-consuming routing updates and a slow network reporting. Forthis reason, the FRCS uses a modified MAC that makes all routing packetshigh quality priority packets, thus ensuring timely updates and a higherquality of data sharing between nodes. This modified MAC packetstructure thus allows communication among all devices on the networkwith a higher degree of reliability and accuracy.

Priority signal routing on the network is controlled by the portablesystem controller 12000. The portable system controller keeps track ofall responder and device activities, both data and voice, and performsan automated analysis using the sensor inputs.

Additional accessories of the FRCS can improve communications, therebyenhancing the self-configuring network in enclosed areas such ashigh-rise buildings, tunnels, and large complexes (shopping malls, powerplants, and corporate campus areas). The accessories include, forexample, leaky cable systems (which can be pre-installed), andfield-deployable repeater terminals (the remote field deployableterminals contain sensors and communications repeater functions). Evenin those instances where leaky cables are not available and remote fielddeployable terminals are not practical, the standard terminalfunctionality including HF, alternate channel communications, andself-configuring and voting receivers capabilities, enhance the FRCSbeyond typical solutions.

As an example, a specification follows for the responder radio 21000,under the FRCS of an embodiment, but the responder radio 21000 is notlimited to these parameters alone or in combination: Radio HandsetCapability; Two way voice communications, AM/FM; Range up to 5 milesoutdoors/250,000 sq. ft. or 20 floors indoors; Operates on 30-512,700-1000 MHz, HF/VHF/UHF, 2.4 or 5.8 GHz, frequencies in contiguous 5and 6.25 kHz steps; Priority scan, 1 channel; Voice-activated,hands-free operation (VOX) capability; Transmit Output Power up to 5watts, user selectable; Audio up to 400 mw depending on level setting;Designed to Mil-Spec 810 and IP54 Specifications; Interoperabilitycapable; Multi-channel operation with (38 Analog and 83 Digital)Interference Eliminator Codes; 3 Scramble Settings To ReduceEavesdropping; Channel Scan With Selectable Scan List; Backlit keypadand interlock; 3 Audible Call Tones; VOX sensitivity—3 level settings;Cloning Compatible (Multi-Unit Charger Required); Panic Button; Shortmessage mode; Time of day clock w on/off timer; Weather Frequencymonitoring, with alert capability; Supports Power Management Mode;Supports Differential GPS (RTCM Input); 7.5 Volt, 3000 mAH RechargeableLithium-Ion Battery; AM emergency tone beacon; Backup battery input forReal Time Clock; Drop-In Charger Compatible; Weight—30.6 ounces (868 gm)with Lithium-Ion Battery; 6-Pin Multi function top connector; 10-PinMulti function top connector; 18-Pin Multi function side accessory plugfor extended upgrades; Backup Battery holder for 5 non rechargeable AAbatteries; Standard use Duty Cycle (8.1.1); Current 200 mA receive; 50mA receive on power saver; Rapid 6-Hour Plug-In Charger; Radio HolsterWith three-inch Spring Clip; Diversity antennas 30-512 MHz, bladeantennas for 2.4 GHz and/or 5.8 GHz; 802.11x or similar wirelesspeer-to-peer self configuring communications system.

As an example, a specification follows for the GPS locator, under theFRCS of an embodiment, but the GPS locator is not limited to theseparameters alone or in combination: Passive or active antenna; HighPerformance 16 Channel Receiver; Differential Corrections supported;RTCM SC104 R2.1; Very Low Power; 52 mA @ 3.3 VDC full satellite trackingoperation; Wide operating temperature range −40 C. to +85 C.; Receiversensitivity −141 dbm; WAAS capability.

The field devices 20000 also include sensors, as described above. Thesensors provide data to the command and control system 10000 on variousparameters including, but not limited to, environmental conditions,first responder biometric information like vitals, vehicle and otherasset status, and situational developments. Each sensor uses a globalunique identification number, such as a MAC address, for identificationand display in the command console 11000.

The sensors are deployed in various forms and can be configured totransmit data based on differing rules. For example, sensors can beincorporated into the responder radios 21000 to monitor the immediateenvironment of the responder. Further, sensors can be carried in/onresponder vehicles in order to monitor critical information around andrelated to the vehicle. Moreover, sensors can be attached to theresponders and/or the responder's clothing/equipment to monitor theindividual vitals. Additionally, groups of sensors can be deployed byother means throughout the engagement area to monitor the incidentenvironment.

The FRCS uses any number of sensors known in the art to measure avariety of parameters. Also, the sensor suite included in a responderradio 21000 can be tailored to particular responder activities (police,border control, safety, fire, forest fire, etc). As an example, the FRCSof an embodiment uses the following sensors: smoke (potential fire,danger); radiation (HAZMAT danger); moisture (environmental condition);biological agents (HAZMAT danger); flow meter (water flow in fire hoses,pumps, tunnels or similar areas subject to flooding); ambienttemperature (potential fire, explosion, combustible area); responderbody temperature (responder condition, physical problem, fear, danger);pressure (shockwave); proximity (movement, activity); responder pulserate (responder vitals, physical condition, fear, danger);vibration/motion (senses vehicle movement, structure collapse);equipment status (vehicle condition); motion (vehicle movement, suspectmovement); tachometer (vehicle condition); sound/frequency (gun shot,explosion, vehicle engine, movement); head position (field of vision,blind spot); gas/vapor (carbon monoxide); chemicals (HAZMAT danger);visibility/visible light level (environmental condition); camera(situational status, suspect tracking); frequency scanners (monitorsuspect radio communications); light (environmental condition).

FIG. 7 is a block diagram 700 showing the information flow from aportable command terminal 11000 to a first responder radio 21000, underthe embodiment of FIG. 4. FIG. 8 is a block diagram 800 showing theinformation flow from a first responder radio 21000 to a portablecommand terminal 11000, under the embodiment of FIG. 4. Generally, theinformation flow includes the responder radios 21000 and/or fielddevices 20000 exchanging information with components of the command andcontrol system 10000 using voice information, data (in the form of shortmessages), keystroke combinations, and GPS information.

Information from the responder radios, upon receipt at the command andcontrol system 10000, is provided to the keyword database, as describedabove. A lookup is run for ten-codes and other unique codes and/or codecombinations. Sensor data is also provided to the keyword database andcompared against sensor codes and sensor combinations pre-populated intothe database. The results of comparisons run in the keyword database areprovided to the scenario database where they are compared topredetermined responses, command scenarios, triangulation scenarios,information of the Incident Control System, and Emergency ManagementResources. Both the keyword database and the scenario database areupdated by downloading information for each engagement type fromexisting or new systems, where the information includes standardoperating procedures, checklists, and the Incident Control System, forexample.

The keyword database/system uses a responder-/user-specific set ofkeywords in conjunction with both a user identification (ID) and sensorinputs to generate a “short message” that triggers a look-up table atthe portable command terminal. The look-up table includes information ofappropriate responses and actions. The keyword database/systemrecognizes a set of pre-established command scenarios that includepossible responses to an incident and provides corresponding controlinputs to the commander in charge to assist in decision making. Thecombination of responder/user inputs identifies both the user and thetype of action requested. The keyword system responds with a coded replyin the form of a display or synthesized voice to acknowledgeunderstanding of the action requested. The specific set of keywords andlook-up table responses are unique to both the type of user (police,firefighter, emergency, safety, etc.) and the particular situation(search, structure fire, forest fire, aircraft crash, etc.). Theterminal operator downloads a look-up table and the specific keywords tobe recognized for the type of engagement and user at the beginning ofeach engagement. When a responder radio issues a keyword (along with theother inputs) the keyword automatically generates a block of requests oractions to the console operator and a specific icon on the commandterminal associated with the handset user's ID for quick identificationand response. The terminal operator sends an acknowledgement in the formof a keyword to the user of the action taken. Keywords also integrateten-codes, or aural brevity codes, with other pertinent sensor data toconvey more detailed information about a given situation or condition.

The command terminal analyzes and combines keyword inputs from multipleresponder radios at the incident site to better understand the situationand to direct appropriate action. The command terminal operator canbroadcast keyword responses to multiple or individual responder radiosas required. Keywords issues at a responder radio can also be relayedthrough the command terminal, resulting in the issuance of verbalcommands to other responder radios at the incident site.

The scenario database subsequently or simultaneously provides data tothe command console. The command console displays the responderactivities and all other information related to the engagement on adisplay, for example a GUI. A history is built from the sensor inputs,the scenario database, and the responder and engagement activities toprovide predictive as well as recommended courses of action to thecommander via pop-up displays. The actions taken via the command consolecould be in response to an action request, or a command activity toprevent or react to a situation. These actions can be manual orautomated (with the capability to modify or override by the commander),voice or data, and transmitted to an individual, group of individuals(multicast), or broadcast to all the responders collectively.

The engagement history, all action requests and responses, commands andsensor inputs are stored locally in the local database 17000 for use ingenerating post-incident reports and analysis. Other storagedevices/locations external to the command and control system 10000 canalso be used for redundancy and survivability. The analysis results canbe used for responder training and for inclusion into the keyworddatabase and the scenario database.

The command and control system 10000 of an embodiment, as describedabove, uses automatic pop-up messages/graphics and predictive alertmessages to provide information of the incident. Further, numerouschecklists can be displayed via displayed menus in order to help theincident commander ensure that no checklist items are skipped during anincident. The command and control system 10000 supports use ofchecklists consistent with, for example, the California Fire ServicesField Operations Guide (ICS 420-1), but is not so limited. The variousgraphics and messages provided by the command and control system 10000provide the incident commander with the steps necessary to react toemergencies.

Examples follow of checklists and checklist items that are available viadisplayed menus of the command and control system 10000, for exampledrop-down menus to the Incident Commander. The command and controlsystem 10000 includes, but is not limited to: checklists of commonresponsibilities for ICS personnel; unit leader responsibilities;Multi-Agency Coordination System (MACS) checklists, includingresponsibilities of the MACS Group Coordinator; Area Command PositionChecklists including checklists for the Area Commander, the AssistantArea Commander Planning, the Assistant Area Commander Logistics, and theArea Command Aviation Coordinator; Command Position Checklists includingchecklists for the Incident Commander, the Information Officer, theLiaison Officer, the Agency Representative, and the Safety Officer;Operations Position Checklists including checklists for the OperationsSection Chief, the Branch Director, the Division/Group Supervisor, theStrike Team Task Force Leader, the Single Resource, the Staging AreaManager, the Air Operations Branch Director, the Air Tactical GroupSupervisor, the Helicopter Coordinator, the Air Tanker/Fixed WingCoordinator, the Air Support Group Supervisor, the Helibase Manager, theHelispot Manager, the Mixmaster, the Deck Coordinator, the Loadmaster,the Parking Tender, the Takeoff and Landing Controller, the HelibaseRadio Operator, and the Helicopter Timekeeper; and Planning PositionChecklists including checklists for the Planning Section Chief, thePlanning Process, the Resources Unit Leader, the Check-In/StatusRecorder, the Situation Unit Leader, the Display Processor, the FieldObserver, the Weather Observer, the Documentation Unit Leader, and theDemobilization Unit Leader.

Continuing with examples of checklists and checklist items that areavailable via displayed menus of the command and control system 10000,the command and control system 10000 also includes, but is not limitedto: Logistics Position Checklists including checklists for the LogisticsSection Chief, the Service Branch Director, the Communications UnitLeader, the Incident Dispatcher, and the Fireline Emergency MedicalTechnician; Hazardous Materials Position Checklists including checklistsfor the Hazardous Materials Group Supervisor, the Entry Leader, theDecontamination Leader, the Site Access Control Leader, the AssistantSafety Officer-Hazardous Materials, the Technical Specialist-HazardousMaterials, and the Safe Refuge Area Manager; Multi-Casualty PositionChecklists including checklists for the Multi-Casualty Branch Director,the Medical Group/Division Supervisor, the Triage Unit Leader, theTreatment Unit Leader, the Air/Ground Ambulance Coordinator; and HighRise Structure Fire Position Checklists including checklists for theBase Manager, the Ground Support Unit Leader, the Lobby Control UnitLeader, the Systems Control Unit Leader, the Staging Area Manager, theMedical Unit Leader, and the Safety Officer.

The predictive alert capability allows the incident commander to trackfirefighters until they enter a building, and then provides a clockdepiction of how long the firefighter remains in the building, basedupon the oxygen in his tank upon entry. As the firefighter's oxygen isdepleted an alert will flash, indicating that it is time for thefirefighter to leave the scene and go to the rehabilitation area.

Predictive alerts are also presented to the incident commander frominformation of the sensors that are in use at the incident scene.Numerous sensors can provide information that supports the display ofalerts to the incident commander including, but not limited to: smoke,moisture, pressure, temperature, proximity, vibration, motion, sound,gas, chemicals, radiation, biological, flow meter, pulse rate, runstatus, tachometer, head position, external source, video, camera,scanner, visibility, and light.

The FRCS of an embodiment provides the functions described above usingat least one processor running under control of one or more algorithms,programs, or routines. In particular, and with reference to FIGS. 2, 4,and 5, the algorithms include algorithms controlling the messagingcontroller or system 16000, the storage or database system 17000, theknowledge system that includes the keyword database or system 14000 andthe command scenario database or system 15000, and the user interface.FIGS. 9-32 show various block diagrams and flow diagrams of the FRCS ofan embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram of communication message handling in the firstresponder communications system, under the embodiment of FIG. 4. FIG. 10is a flow diagram of message routing in the first respondercommunications system, under the embodiment of FIG. 9. FIG. 11 is a flowdiagram of message parsing in the first responder communications system,under the embodiment of FIG. 9. FIG. 12 is a flow diagram of messageroute path determination in the first responder communications system,under the embodiment of FIG. 9. FIG. 13 is a flow diagram of messagecueing in the first responder communications system, under theembodiment of FIG. 9. FIG. 14 is a flow diagram for storing messages inthe first responder communications system, under the embodiment of FIG.9. FIG. 15 is a flow diagram for handling synchronization (sync)messages in the first responder communications system, under theembodiments of FIGS. 9 and 14.

FIG. 16 is a flow diagram for self-configuring a network including thefirst responder communications system, under the embodiment of FIG. 9.FIGS. 17 and 18 are flow diagrams for self-configuring a command andcontrol hierarchy in the first responder communications system, underthe embodiment of FIG. 9. FIG. 19 shows flow diagrams for handling “pathfound” and “alert” messages in the first responder communicationssystem, under the embodiment of FIG. 9. FIG. 20 is a flow diagram forprocessing received messages in the first responder communicationssystem, under the embodiment of FIG. 19. FIG. 21 is a flow diagram forperforming text-to-voice message conversion in the first respondercommunications system, under the embodiment of FIG. 19. FIG. 22 is aflow diagram for sensor timer checks in the first respondercommunications system, under the embodiment of FIG. 19. FIG. 23 is aflow diagram for updating data crumbs in the first respondercommunications system, under the embodiment of FIG. 19. FIG. 24 is aflow diagram for processing data crumbs in the first respondercommunications system, under the embodiment of FIG. 19. FIG. 25 is aflow diagram for sending data crumbs in the first respondercommunications system, under the embodiment of FIG. 19.

FIG. 26 is a flow diagram for processing keyword information of messagesin the first responder communications system, under the embodiment ofFIG. 9. FIG. 27 is a flow diagram for user interface (UI) messageparsing in the first responder communications system, under theembodiment of FIG. 9. FIG. 28 is a flow diagram for graphical userinterface (GUI) message parsing in the first responder communicationssystem, under the embodiments of FIGS. 9 and 27. FIG. 29 is a flowdiagram for text user interface message parsing in the first respondercommunications system, under the embodiments of FIGS. 9 and 27. FIG. 30is a flow diagram for audio user interface message parsing in the firstresponder communications system, under the embodiments of FIGS. 9 and27. FIGS. 31 and 32 are flow diagrams for graphical user interface (GUI)updating in the first responder communications system, under theembodiment of FIG. 9.

The messaging system of the FRCS generally includes at least one messagerouter and at least one message parser, as described above, and withreference to FIGS. 2, 4, 5, and 9-32. Regarding the message router, allinformation flows throughout the systems and components of the FRCS inthe form of messages. Each component/system of the FRCS is aware ofevery other component/system and knows the best route path for eachmessage type to reach its target. Each message received is copied toeach other component/system in the listen-to list or publish-to list. Inaddition, each message is forwarded to the message parser. Further, themessage router keeps a log of each message, to the limit of availablememory, and makes a decision for each message received if it has alreadybeen handled, and if so, dropped from the cue to prevent furtherprocessing. The message parser, upon receipt of a message, forwards acopy of the message to each of the other major software systems,storage, knowledge, GIS, ICS.

The storage system of the FRCS, as described above, and with referenceto FIGS. 2, 4, 5, and 9-32, keeps a copy in local storage of eachmessage received by the components/systems of the FRCS. Upon startup,the storage system requests updated information meeting the scenario,range and time specifications. The storage system is capable of replyingto an update request message of a requester or requesting device byreturning all message traffic within the scenario, range, and timespecification of the requester.

The knowledge system of the FRCS generally includes at least oneself-configuring command and control system, at least onevoice-to-text/text-to-voice (TTV/VTT) system, at least one patternrecognition system, and at least one text recognition system, asdescribed above, and with reference to FIGS. 2, 4, 5, and 9-32. Thecommand and control system includes at least one database that allows anoperator to specify the command priority of each device and, in theabsence of an operator, determines the command priority based onpreexisting data. The command and control system further includes a userinterface that is provided in the ICS system. As devices are added andremoved from the network, the CNC system automatically changes thecommand priority of active devices.

The TTV/VTT system of an embodiment receives each message or a copy ofeach message routed to the knowledge system. The TTV/VTT system updatesreceived messages by appending either the audio version of the messageor the text version of the message to the message, as appropriate. Afterthe message is updated, it is passed back to the message parser.

The pattern recognition system also receives each message or a copy ofeach message routed through the FRCS system and performs at least onecomparison on the received messages. When the comparisons result in amatch, the knowledge system generates a new message with the additionalinformation and passes this message back to the message parser.

Likewise, the text recognition system or filter receives each message ora copy of each message routed through the FRCS system and performs atleast one comparison on the received messages. When the comparisonsresult in a match, the knowledge system generates a new message with theadditional information and passes this message back to the messageparser.

The user interface system of the FRCS generally includes at least onephysical interface, at least one audio interface, and at least onevisual interface, as described above, and with reference to FIGS. 2, 4,5, and 9-32. Each of the physical, audio, and visual interfaces receivesa copy of each message routed through the FRCS system. The physicalinterface includes keyboard, mouse, and vibrator components, but is notso limited. The audio interface includes microphone and speakercomponents, but is not so limited.

The visual interface of an embodiment includes visual indicators likeLEDs and strobe lights in addition to the GIS system and ICS system. Thevisual interface manages and controls the on/off state as well as theintensity of the visual indicators in response to messages received bythe visual interface.

The GIS system includes a map of GIS and facilities data along with thecapability to display environmental information and unit information.The map can display GIS and facilities information and, further, canprovide a sand table to enable the user to manually add facilitiesinformation. The sand table supports an operator selecting varioustemplates of facilities information and adding these to the map. Thestructures at an incident area can be generated and displayed asthree-dimensional wire frame structures to conserve memory, reduce thedata storage requirements, increase the speed of retrieval and to allowthe incident commander to see and track the movements of the respondersinside the structure.

The GIS displays include static geographical information including butnot limited to mountains, streams, and trees. The facilities displaysinclude static geographical information like buildings, roads, bridges,for example.

The display of environmental information includes the display ofnon-unit specific sensor information. Examples include a heat log wheremultiple location specific temperature readings are combined into ahistogram of area temperature information.

The display of unit information includes the ability to displayinformation of multiple units. Each unit includes an avatar to displayphysical information and a breadcrumb trail to display history oflocation. The avatar includes an avatar object along with various sensordisplay outputs, as appropriate. The avatar object is an icon used toidentify the unit and includes color, shape, and size information todepict other information of the unit. Each display of unit-specificsensor data is represented with a graphical object. The bread crumbtrail provides a visual track of the physical location of a unit.

The ICS system includes at least one task tracker and at least one assettracker, but is not so limited. Depending on the message received by theICS, indicators and pop-ups are provided as a guide for the incidentcommander or operator.

The task tracker includes a library of action items and information madeavailable to the operator. A table of contents provides convenientaccess to the library by providing an index for the operator to find theinformation for which he/she is looking.

For each task there is a list of information organized in a task listthat is made available to the operator. The task list can provide theability for the operator to enter data, but is not so limited. When datais entered into the task list by the operator, the entered data istransferred to the messaging system for disposition.

The asset tracker includes an asset list that supports operatorviewing/modifying of detailed information relating to the assets, whereeach asset corresponds to a unit in the GIS. The operator has theability to specify the command priority of each asset.

As a key portion of the FRCS capabilities will be used to alertresponders to impending danger and to evacuate the area, much capabilityis dedicated to the reliable assurance that an evacuation alert orpaging signal is received and confirmed. A visual alerting system usedon the responder helmet and/or face shield together with the otherfunctions of the system to enable a responder to see in peripheralvision range, indications of evacuation or directional commands from theincident commander for rescue or evacuation etc. The FRCS of anembodiment includes a heads-up display (HUD) including one or more LEDsand/or LCDs and a signal receiver that attaches to a face shield orwindshield (shield) of a responder's helmet or head gear. The HUDreceives instructions via an electromagnetic or sonic signal from atransmitter connected to a computer or other source, and displays one ormore symbols representative of the received instructions on the HUD.

The FRCS of an embodiment also displays visual communications using fournavigation lights or indicators (e.g., LEDs) mounted on the outside ofthe helmet, with the appropriate colors used to indicate fore and aft aswell as port and starboard directions. The navigation lights orindicators are connected to the FRCS devices such that the incidentcommander can control the intensity and flashing of the navigationlights. Thus the navigation lights or indicators can be used forsignaling or navigation purposes.

The FRCS of an embodiment alerts responders to impending danger usingpaging audio and vibration techniques. However, given the extremeenvironment conditions in structural firefighting, alternativeembodiments of the FRCS include the visual alert notification on or inthe responder's helmet face shield. The visual alert notification may beused alone or in combination with other alert techniques. FIG. 33 showsa firefighter's headgear 3300 including a helmet 3302 and shield 3304with representative indicators 3306 that display or project symbols ofthe HUD on the shield, under an embodiment. The indicators 3306 can beprojected or displayed on any portion of the shield 3304 in which theycan be seen and understood by the wearer and are not limited to thepositions shown in this example. Even when oxygen SCBA is not used theface shield 3304 is attached to the helmet 3302 and can receive from theFRCS components directions and alert information (e.g., evacuationalerts and instructions) in a visual form via projection or display bythe indicators 3306. The normal peripheral vision is more acute or awarethan direct vision or looking directly at some object or light amidstsmoke and dark conditions. Thus using indicators 3306 that include atleast one of light, light projection, LEDs, LCDs, or other displaytechnology along with conventionally understood symbols, characters,shapes, colors, etc. (e.g., red arrows) the assurance of directions orimmediate evacuation alerts can be signaled to responders in danger.Since verbal communications inside the active area during an incidentcan be either impossible or difficult, other methods of communicationcan be used to insure that the responders can receive and act ondirections from their immediate supervisor or the Incident Commander.Verbal or keystroke commands to the responders that provide direction ofmovement, location of activity, relative indication of danger, emergencyor evacuation commands, incident status or specific standardinstructions can be converted to signals that are sent over the wirelessnetwork to the responder(s) device. The device will use that signal todrive the LED/OLED/or other type display to show the basic direction,status and urgency information using colors, arrows and shapes. The useof standard shapes, such as arrows and other conventionally understoodindicators can quickly convey to the responder the pertinentinformation. The use of the light source to

Additional accessories of the FRCS can improve communications, therebyenhancing the self-configuring network in enclosed areas such ashigh-rise buildings, tunnels, and large complexes (shopping malls, powerplants, and corporate campus areas). The accessories include, forexample, leaky cable systems (which can be pre-installed), andfield-deployable repeater terminals (the remote field deployableterminals contain sensors and communications repeater functions). Evenin those instances where leaky cables are not available and remote fielddeployable terminals are not practical, the standard terminalfunctionality including HF, alternate channel communications, andself-configuring and voting receivers capabilities, enhance the FRCSbeyond typical solutions.

The portable communication device of an embodiment comprises at leastone of a network system that automatically assembles a wireless networkamong other portable communication devices and control devices in anarea and automatically assigns a unique identification number to eachportable communication device, a communication system that receives andtransmits voice and data communications over the wireless network usingat least one of High Frequency (HF) communications, Very High Frequency(VHF) communications, Ultra High Frequency (UHF)/microwavecommunications, cellular communications, satellite communications, andPublic Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) communications, a positioningsystem that includes Global Positioning System (GPS) components and atleast one location sensor, the positioning system automaticallydetermining a position of the device periodically and automaticallytransferring the position to at least one of the control devices via thewireless network, and a visual alerting system included in the responderequipment that provide visual cues that enable a responder to see, inperipheral vision range, indications of evacuation or directionalcommands from the incident commander.

Aspects of the invention may be implemented as functionality programmedinto any of a variety of circuitry, including programmable logic devices(PLDs), such as field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), programmablearray logic (PAL) devices, electrically programmable logic and memorydevices and standard cell-based devices, as well as application specificintegrated circuits (ASICs). Some other possibilities for implementingaspects of the invention include: microcontrollers with memory (such aselectronically erasable programmable read only memory (EEPROM)),embedded microprocessors, firmware, software, etc. In addition, thedevice of an embodiment includes an RF transceiver (e.g., one-chiptransceiver, two-chip transceiver) with one or more blade antennas and aGPS or other multifunctional GPS enhanced geolocation chip set. The FAASdevice supports various modulation techniques (for If aspects of theinvention are embodied as software at least one stage duringmanufacturing (e.g. before being embedded in firmware or in a PLD), thesoftware may be carried by any computer readable medium, such asmagnetically- or optically-readable disks (fixed or floppy), modulatedon a carrier signal or otherwise transmitted, etc.

Furthermore, aspects of the invention may be embodied in microprocessorshaving software-based circuit emulation, discrete logic (sequential andcombinatorial), custom devices, fuzzy (neural) logic, quantum devices,and hybrids of any of the above device types. Of course the underlyingdevice technologies may be provided in a variety of component types,e.g., metal-oxide semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET)technologies like complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS),bipolar technologies like emitter-coupled logic (ECL), polymertechnologies (e.g., silicon-conjugated polymer and metal-conjugatedpolymer-metal structures), mixed analog and digital, etc.

Unless the context clearly requires otherwise, throughout thedescription and the claims, the words “comprise,” “comprising,” and thelike are to be construed in an inclusive sense as opposed to anexclusive or exhaustive sense; that is to say, in a sense of “including,but not limited to.” Words using the singular or plural number alsoinclude the plural or singular number respectively. Additionally, thewords “herein,” “hereunder,” “above,” “below,” and words of similarimport, when used in this application, refer to this application as awhole and not to any particular portions of this application. When theword “or” is used in reference to a list of two or more items, that wordcovers all of the following interpretations of the word: any of theitems in the list, all of the items in the list and any combination ofthe items in the list.

The above descriptions of embodiments of the invention are not intendedto be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise formsdisclosed. While specific embodiments of, and examples for, theinvention are described herein for illustrative purposes, variousequivalent modifications are possible within the scope of the invention,as those skilled in the relevant art will recognize. The teachings ofthe invention provided herein can be applied to other processing systemsand communications systems, not only for the communications systemsdescribed above.

The elements and acts of the various embodiments described above can becombined to provide further embodiments. These and other changes can bemade to the invention in light of the above detailed description.

1. A communications system, comprising: a plurality of mobile devicesthat each include a network subsystem and a positioning subsystem, thenetwork subsystem automatically assembling a wireless network among themobile devices using at least one of a plurality of channels forinformation transfer and automatically assigning at least one uniqueidentification number to each mobile device, wherein the networksubsystem uses a primary channel of the plurality of channels andautomatically switches to use an alternative channel of the plurality ofchannels in response to a failure of the primary channel, thepositioning subsystem automatically generating position information ofeach mobile device; and at least one control system coupled forinformation transfer with the plurality of mobile devices, the controlsystem tracking and mapping individual positions of each mobile deviceusing the position information and identifying each mobile device on themap using the identification number.
 2. The system of claim 1, whereincommunications among the mobile devices and the control system occurusing at least one of High Frequency (HF) communications, Very HighFrequency (VHF) communications, Ultra High Frequency (UHF), microwavecommunications, cellular communications, satellite communications, andPublic Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) communications.
 3. The systemof claim 1, wherein the positioning subsystem includes at least one of aGlobal Positioning System (GPS), a Radio FrequencyIdentification/Direction Finding (RFID/DF) system, an infrared (IR)system, an acoustic system, a triangulation system, and a signalingsystem.
 4. The system of claim 1, wherein the information transferincludes voice information, voice over internet protocol (VOIP), anddata.
 5. The system of claim 1, wherein the identification number is amedia access control (MAC) address, wherein the MAC address isassociated with routing packets having modified priorities, wherein “allrouting packets are high quality packets” ensuring higher reliabilitybetween nodes”.
 6. The system of claim 1, wherein the control systemfurther comprises a graphical user interface (GUI) that displays theindividual positions of each mobile device on a three-dimensional map.7. The system of claim 1, wherein the identification number is a mediaaccess control (MAC) address, wherein location-based multicast groupInternet Protocol (IP) addressing is used to map the individualpositions of each mobile device within an incident scene.
 8. A portablecommunication device, comprising: a network system that automaticallyassembles a wireless network among other portable communication devicesand control devices in an area and automatically reads a uniquepreassigned identification number from each portable communicationdevice; a communication system that receives and transmits voice anddata communications over the wireless network using at least one of HighFrequency (HF) communications, Very High Frequency (VHF) communications,Ultra High Frequency (UHF)/microwave communications, cellularcommunications, satellite communications, and Public Switched TelephoneNetwork (PSTN) communications; and a positioning system that includesGlobal Positioning System (GPS) components and at least one locationsensor, the positioning system automatically determining a position ofthe device periodically and automatically transferring the position toat least one of the control devices via the wireless network.
 9. Amethod for automatically tracking and communicating among mobiledevices, comprising: automatically assembling a wireless network among aplurality of mobile devices and control systems in an area, whereinassembling includes adding mobile devices and control systems to thewireless network as they arrive in the area and removing mobile devicesand control systems from the wireless network as they depart the area;automatically activating a portable processing device in response tovehicle start, wherein the portable processing device is a radiofrequency base unit and the vehicle is an emergency response vehicle;receiving voice and data communications at the portable processingdevice from each of the mobile devices of the wireless network inresponse to the automatic activating, wherein the data communicationsinclude position and identification information of each mobile device ofthe wireless network relative to a position of the portable processingdevice; tracking a position and status of a mobile device using theposition and identification information; and generating a map of anengagement and displaying individual positions and identifications ofeach mobile device of the wireless network using the position andidentification information, wherein at least one area of the map can beselected in order to focus on a portion of an incident area and at leastone responder team.
 10. The method of claim 9, wherein the mobiledevices include at least one two-way pager system for communications,wherein the pager system provides at least one pre-programmed responseto a user for use in responding to received messages, wherein thepre-programmed responses are reprogrammable.
 11. The method of claim 9,wherein communications among the mobile devices and the portableprocessing device are made via at least one of High Frequency (HF)communications, Very High Frequency (VHF) communications, Super HighFrequency (SHF) communications, Ultra High Frequency (UHF)/microwavecommunications, cellular communications, satellite communications,public safety band communications, and Public Switched TelephoneNetwork. (PSTN) communications.
 12. The method of claim 11, wherein thecommunications are established on a primary channel to enable at leastone of a mesh network and an ultra wide band network (UWB).
 13. Themethod of claim 12, wherein the communications are established on atleast one alternative channel when communication on the primary channelfails, wherein use of the at least one alternative channel iscommunicated to portable processing device.
 14. A portable device,comprising: a network system that automatically assembles a wirelessnetwork among other portable devices and control devices in ageographical area; an identification system that automatically reads aunique identification number from the portable communication device; acommunication system that receives and transmits data over the wirelessnetwork via at least one of the other portable devices and controldevices using at least one of High Frequency (HF) communications, VeryHigh Frequency (VHF) communications, Super High Frequency (SHF)communications, Ultra High Frequency (UHF)/microwave communications,cellular communications, and satellite communications; and a positioningsystem that includes Global Positioning System (GPS) components and atleast one location sensor, the positioning system automaticallydetermining a position of the device periodically and automaticallytransferring the position to at least one of the control devices via thewireless network.
 15. The device of claim 14, wherein the positioningsystem further includes at least one of a Radio FrequencyIdentification/Direction Finding (RFID/DF) system, an infrared (IR)system, an acoustic system, a triangulation system, a signaling system,an accelerometer-based system, a gyroscope-based system, and alogic-based dead reckoning system.
 16. The device of claim 14, furthercomprising at least one neural logic algorithm that processes data ofthe logic-based dead reckoning system for responder location andtracking.
 17. The device of claim 14, further comprising at least onesensor, wherein the sensor provides at least one of light, temperature,biometric information, barometric data, and signal strength data. 18.The device of claim 14, further comprising at least one of anidentification generator that generates the identification number and anencoder subsystem that encodes data transferred among the portabledevices and the control devices.
 19. A method for automaticallycommunicating among mobile devices, comprising: automatically assemblinga wireless network among a plurality of mobile devices and controlsystems in an area, wherein assembling includes adding mobile devicesand control systems to the wireless network as they arrive in the areaand removing mobile devices and control systems from the wirelessnetwork as they depart the area; automatically transferring datacommunications among the mobile devices and the control systems, whereinthe data communications include packetized data of position andidentification information of each mobile device of the wirelessnetwork; tracking a position and status of a mobile device using theposition and identification information; and generating a display thatincludes a map displaying individual positions, position tracks, andidentifications of each mobile device using the position andidentification information.
 20. The method of claim 19, furthercomprising receiving sensor data from at least one sensor of at leastone mobile device.
 21. The method of claim 20, further comprising:comparing the sensor data with previously received data of the mobiledevices; generating predictions using results of the comparison, whereinthe predictions are predictions of progress of an engagement; anddisplaying the generated predictions on the display.
 22. The method ofclaim 20, further comprising a navigation system that includes at leastone indicator on at least one article of equipment or clothing of aresponder, wherein the navigation system indicates at least one of adirection and movement of the responder.
 23. The method of claim 22,wherein at least one of an intensity and an operating mode of theindicators can be changed by a remote commander, wherein the indicatorscommunicate at least one of commands and instructions to the responder.